This invention relates to embossed two-ply paper products such as paper towels and bathroom tissue. More particularly, the invention relates to embossing patterns which can be formed on two plies of paper so that the embossments are in either a nested or a foot-to-foot configuration.
Paper products such as paper towels and bathroom tissue are often formed from two plies of paper sheet material or webs. Such products are commonly formed on a rewinder line in which jumbo rolls of webs are unwound, perforated, and rewound into retail sized rolls. Many rewinder lines include an embosser for forming embossments in one or both of the webs.
When both webs are embossed, the embossments can be arranged in either a foot-to-foot configuration or in a nested configuration. U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,459 describes a foot-to-foot configuration. The embossments or projections of one of the webs are aligned with the embossments of the other web, and the embossments are typically glued together to form a laminated two-ply product.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,556,907 and 3,867,225 describe a nested embossed configuration. The embossments of one of the webs are positioned between the embossments of the other web so that the embossments of the two webs do not contact each other. Again, the webs are typically glued together.
Some manufacturers of paper products believe that both nested and foot-to-foot embossed products have certain advantages, and such manufacturers may make both nested and foot-to-foot products. However, different embossment patterns are used for nested and foot-to-foot products. Further, some nested products have a different embossment pattern for each ply.
Embossments are formed in each of the two individual webs by rubber to steel embossing in which steel embossing rolls are engraved with the embossing pattern. The conventional manufacturing process for an embossing roll includes making tooling, using the tooling to make a master roll, and using the master roll to engrave a steel embossing roll. Each different embossment pattern therefore requires costs for tooling, a master roll, and an engraved steel embossing roll. However, other methods could be used to manufacture embossing rolls.
It would be advantageous if the same embossing pattern could be used to make both nested and foot-to-foot embossed products. The same tooling and master roll could then be used to make each of the two steel rolls.
Some old embossing rolls include simple pins or projections for forming the embossments, and the positions of the two embossing rolls can be adjusted to make either nested or foot-to-foot embossments. However, the pins or projections are simply arranged in parallel rows or similar configurations, and the embossments do not form aesthetically pleasing and recognizable designs.
At the present time, many manufacturers of embossed paper products prefer to use embossment patterns which form aesthetically pleasing and recognizable designs such as floral designs, geometric designs such as circles and squares, various polygons, a combination of floral and geometric designs, and the like.